Headrest and leg rest



June 18, 1957 R. J. MONEELY 2,795,838

HEADREST AND LEG REST Filed Feb. 4, 1954 INVENTOR 194) A Alf/V651) I Z 7 "4g ATTORNEY 1 aired States Patent HEADREST AND LEG REST Ray J. McNeely, Olympia, Wash., assignor to McNeely Company, Inc., Olympia, Wash.

Application February 4, 1954, Serial No. 408,113

3 Claims. (Cl. 27-21) The present invention relates to emba'lming tools and specifically to a formed plastic head rest and leg rest composed of three pieces to be used singly or in combination.

In the embalming art, many difiiculties arise in positioning the bodies as the embalming fluids used are injected due to the softening of the flesh as the initial set due to rigor leaves. The embalming fluids create a final firmness and stiffening of the body after they are injected, but frequently there is other processing to be done, such as padding the cheeks and lips with wax, so that the mortician is unable to satisfactorily position each limb as it sets in firmness. The resulting unforeseen and unnatural position of the body is a source of much extra work and effort to resoften the limb or other portion of the body which became stiff before work had been finished on it.

The use of blocks has been the common answer, but they have proved to be diflicult to manage with the head lolling to one side or other as the softening process occurs, or the limbs rolling oil the block unnoticed, and into an unnatural position. Single blocks of many sizes and heights have to be provided, and no single block seems to suflice to serve in all cases, due to the many shapes of the bodies encountered, and due to the unequal firming of the various portions of the bodies. Obese and deformed cadavers present special problems, and it is expedient to have at hand a simple head or leg rest which can be used in combination to provide a rest of various heights with little effort.

The present invention, briefly described, provides such a rest, one of two main pieces which can be used single or in combination to give heights of 2, 3, 3 /2, 4, and 4 /2 inches, and so forth, in small increments. The first part of the invention is made of two plastic sheets cut and formed, and a cube cemented between the formed sheets, so that the resulting block or head rest has a concavity uppermost in any position. The second part of the invention is an extension to embrace the cube of the first part in each of the positions, thusly adding the height of the extension to the initial heights of the first part. The second part of the invention has a concavity also, and may be used alone to support an arm or leg. The third part of the invention may be sprung apart a slight way in order to snugly embrace the second part to support an arm or a head at a greater distance and, if desired, at a slight angle to the supporting table. This latter feature is desired in cases of outwardly flexing limbs, or those that have been unnaturally positioned during rigor mortis, or due to exposure, accident, or other causes. The slightly angled position of the third part of the invention provides a brace toward one side or the other.

it is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a headrest and leg rest having several heights, and each with a concave top surface so that a body portion will not be easily dislodged therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a headr" 2,795,838 1C6 l atented June 1 1957 .2 rest and leg rest of inexpensive material easily molded and formed upon the simplest of machines.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a headrest which may be quickly turned to provide any one of several heights for the head, or for the leg, or arm.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side view in elevation showing the invention in use as a headrest atone height, with a leg in place on the leg rest;

Fig. 2 is a front view in elevation taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an expanded view in section of the two parts used in Fig. 1, the section being on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the third part of the invention, shown alone;

Fig. 6 is an expanded view in perspective of the three parts of the invention as used to provide a slightly angled brace, as for an arm or leg which tends to flex in an undesired direction.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, the invention will be seen to be composed of a first part having a centrally positioned block 11 of plastic or the like on two opposite sides of which are cemented the formed plate members 12, 13, each of which have confronting faces 14 and 15, respectively, and non-confronting faces 16 and 17. The plate members 12, 13 are curved like hour-glasses, although irregularly with the curve on one side being deeper than the curve on the other. They are also concave on their non-confronting faces 16 and 17, so that they form a headrest for the body 10, as 'in Fig. l, but their concavities are slightly different in depth, thus placing the block 11 closer to the one projected face 18 of the plate member 12 than to the projected face 19 of member 13, as shown in Fig. 3. Similarly, the block 11 is positioned a slight distance closer to the end 21 of member 12 than to the end 22. The difference in position in each case is between A and 1 inch, preferably, although other increments of height may be had by other changes in dimensions.

The second part of the invention is seen to be an upstanding extension member having a top curved plate or support member 23, which acts as a headrest as in Fig. 1, when it is supported on the block 11 by the bifurcation 24 of each of its side members 25, 26. Small braces 27 keep the sides together, which are cut at their upper ends to fit the convex face of the support member 23. The third part of the invention is a single strip 28 of plastic or the like bent to be M-shaped, with its top rounded somewhat to have a concavity 29 in which a leg or arm can be positioned. The strip 28 is somewhat springy or resilient and may be used to fit snugly over and resiliently and angularly embrace the opposite sides 25 and 26 below the support member 23. This is shown in Fig. 6, which also shows, by the arrow, how the bifurcations 24 on each of the side members 25 and 26 are placed down over the block 11, between the formed plate members 12 and 13, thus providing a slightly angled brace, as for an arm or leg which tends to flex in an undesired direction.

The first part of the invention can he stood on its ends 21 or on ends 22, for the support of a head or leg, as desired, the block 11 itself then being supported with the confronting faces 14, 15 of the plate members 12 and 13 forming the sides. The second part of the invention may be used alone or with the third part or leg rest portion, as desired.

It will be seen therefore, that if the block 11 is positioned A of an inch closer to one edge than the other,

block 11 being /2 to 11/: inches square, it will be seen that an initial height of 2 /2 inches is possible, .with regular steps of /2 inch or 1 inchadded as the device is turned, the dimensions of the plate members and extension member being such that a series of heights may be obtained.

Obviously other changes in the dimensions are possible, and other degrees of curvature permitted, and many modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A support for use in embalming processes comprising a substantially cubicle block, a pair of plate members each having an intermediate portion and end portions and being secured in spacedface to face relation on opposite sides of said block, said pair of plate members having an hour-glass shape in profile, each member of said pair of plates having two long curved edges and two short straight parallel ends, said straight ends extending parallel to the nearest edges of the securing block, one curved edge on each plate matching one curved edge on the other plate and the other curved edge on each plate matching the other curved edge on the other plate, the one curved edge on each plate being different from the other curved edge on the same plate, each of said pair of plate members being concavely curved on their non-confronting faces in their middle portion and having substantially coplanar leg portions, the curvature of the face of one of said pair of plate members being greater than that of the other, said pair of plate members being 2,79s,sss 1 r secured to said block closer to one pair of ends than to the other pair.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 together with an upstanding extension member adapted to be supported On either one of said pair of plate members on its nonconfronting face at the middle portion thereof when said one face is uppermost and adapted to be supported on said block betweensaid pair of plate members when either of the paired edges of said pair of plates are uppermost, said extension member comprising a support member having a concave side and a convex side, a pair of vertical sidemembers secured by one end of each to the convex side of said support member, said pair of side members having bifurcated ends defining an opening adapted to receive said block and associated middle portions when said plate members are positioned with either pair of ends, either of the non-confronting faces, or either pair of edges uppermost.

3. The device as set forth in claim 2 together with a second extension member adapted to be supported on said first mentioned extension member comprising a single resilient strip member formed into substantially an M-shape and having depending legs, said legs being parallel and spaced from each other a slightly less distance than the distance between said vertical side members of said first mentioned'extension member, said legs when sprung apart in turn defining an opening to resiliently embrace said vertical side members of said first mentioned extension member to provide various increments of height in. any of the aforesaid positions of said first mentionedextension member, said second extension member also being adapted to be used to support a body portion when said legs are supported on a surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,973,240 Werness et al. Sept. 11, 1934 

